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Director of Advocacy & EngagementAmy K. Owens is an experienced non-profit association professional with an extensive background in project management, government relations, and advocacy. Amy has successfully advocated for various state and national health care associations for over a decade.
While at the Illinois State Medical Society, Amy served as Legislative Director for six medical specialty state societies managing their respective grassroots advocacy and public affairs campaigns. She also simultaneously served as Executive Director for the 300-physician member Illinois Dermatological Society as well as the 1,300-physician member Illinois Psychiatric Society helping to advance their respective strategic goals.
In 2005, Amy joined the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) as Government Relations Manager. She organized a national grassroots advocacy effort on behalf of AMTA’s more than 60,000 members for the passage and preservation of massage therapy professional licensure in all fifty states. Amy provided leadership and training on all legislative, regulatory and grievance issues of importance to the association.
Amy recently served as Executive Director for the Society of Basic Urologic Research (SBUR), the pre-eminent urologic research society in the United States. Under Amy’s leadership, SBUR achieved record-breaking scientific abstract submissions and attendance at both of its scientific conferences on urologic cancers and benign diseases of the prostate, kidney, and bladder. Amy successfully managed the CME accreditation process for SBUR and worked directly with all committees of the Society to meet their project and event management needs. In 2019, Amy formed the SBUR Advocacy Committee and developed a strategic plan for the committee to promote increased federal funding for urologic research. Amy has also provided consulting services for non-profit foundations in the areas of project management, fundraising, and community outreach efforts.
Amy received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Spanish from Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana. She earned her Master of Arts degree in Social Service Administration with a concentration in Health Care Policy and Administration from the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago. Amy lives in the suburban Chicago area with her husband John and their two wonderful children.